Food Made Fresh: Tamales more about family than food

When a group comes together to make tamales, the event is referred to as a tamalada. It's about so much more than assembling tamales. More than anything, it's about the family spending time together, laughing, remembering stories about the last time they made tamales, and paying tribute to those who have done this before them.

Many folks can’t think of a Christmas meal without tamales. This popular treat is often made together by a large group of family members — each one being responsible for a particular step in the process.

When a group comes together to make tamales, the event is referred to as a tamalada. And from what I know, it’s about so much more than assembling tamales. More than anything, it’s about the family spending time together, laughing, remembering stories about the last time they made tamales, and paying tribute to those who have done this before them.

It’s also about passing the tradition from generation to generation.

I stopped by the Amigo’s Tamale Festival Saturday hoping to pick up some good tips from the pros. Some folks make the masa from scratch with finely ground corn meal; others pick up a bag or two of prepared masa. The prepared masa is available unseasoned so you can add your own flavorings, or you can purchase it pre-seasoned.

Some folks use banana leaves to wrap the tamale in, but the corn husk is most frequently used in our area. I’ve also learned that most tamaleras (lead tamale makers) prefer to use pork roast for the meat filling but some add prepared hog head. Others like to offer chicken tamales, bean and cheese, even fruit-filled tamales.

And it seems there are numerous techniques used to spread the masa, each person confident that their method or tool is the best — from spoons, to specially made trowels, to butter knives. Another difference I’ve learned is certain tamaleras prefer dried chili pods for seasoning; others use chili powder. Some use lard, while others prefer shortening.

Regardless of the ingredients and different ways tamales are made, the best advice I received from my tamale adventure, was from a gentleman named Jerry Ramos.

Ramos was one of the contestants at the tamale festival. He told me that the best tamales are made with lots of love and lots of patience.

He has also perfected a great method for making a large number of tamales when you are not making them with a large group. Ramos gets prepared a day at a time. He cooks the meat one day. The next day he prepares the masa. The third day, he washes and trims all the husks. And finally, on the fourth day, he rolls and cooks the tamales. With this method, Ramos can roll as many 10-12 dozen in one hour!

My gratitude goes to Ramos for his sound advice. I will be much less overwhelmed the next time I make this delicious, wrapped treasure.

A few months ago, I attended a city of Lubbock Parks and Rec tamale workshop taught by Herminia Martinez. She taught the class a fantastic method for preparing several dozen tamales at one time. Being a beginner, I don’t usually prepare a large number of tamales at one time, so I am scaling back the quantity of ingredients. If you’re not a novice or want to take on a larger project, double the ingredients listed. Enjoy freshly made tamales this Christmas!

When done, wait for pork roast to cool enough to handle. Remove from stock pot, place on cutting board and begin to pull meat apart and shred, placing shredded meat in large bowl. (Reserve the pork broth for use throughout the other steps.) Refrigerate if waiting to complete tamales.

In a separate pot, bring red chili pepper pods to a boil, then simmer over medium low heat for 15-20 minutes, or until chili pods are tender. When done, remove stems and place chili pods in blender.

Add 1 tablespoon salt, remaining garlic cloves and 11/2 tablespoons cumin powder; blend all ingredients on high speed until smooth, being cautious with the hot liquid. Pour contents of blender onto the meat and knead until well combined. (I strain the mixture if the skins are tough and do not blend in well).

Refrigerate if you are planning to spread your steps out over several days. Note: A small amount of the chili sauce may be reserved to knead into the masa for color and added flavor.

In a large bowl add masa, shortening, about a pint of the reserved pork broth and 11/2 tablespoons salt. Knead in a little chili mixture if desired, and add more broth as needed to make masa smooth, to the consistency of peanut butter. Cover and refrigerate if you are waiting to roll tamales at a later time.

To prepare husks, fill sink with hot water, separate corn husks, and submerge them in the hot water. Corn husks will float up so you will need to place a heavy object on top of them so they soak up enough water. Continue soaking until soft and pliable.

Remove corn husks from water and drain off as much water as possible then place in a bowl. Note: Corn husks should be no wider than 4 inches at the wide end of the corn husk. If husk is too wide, fold the side and cut all the way up to the 4 inch end of the corn husk. Feel for smooth side of husk; that will be the side to spread the masa onto.

With the back of a large tablespoon, spread a thin layer of masa onto the corn husk. Spread side to side, starting at the top (wide end) spreading down about 5 inches. Make a dozen at a time and then begin to fill with meat. One tablespoon of meat should be enough to fill each tamale.

Roll meat filled tamale in a tri-fold fashion, side to side. Secure by taking the tail end of the corn husk and fold up over the seam of the husk.

When finished, cook in electric slow cooker or roaster. Fill slow cooker or roaster with 11/2 inches of remaining pork broth. Stand tamales open-end up and fill pot tightly so tamales cannot fall over. (You can also set a cup in center of pot to take up space or to lean tamales on.) Cook on high for 2-3 hours. Makes 5-6 dozen tamales.

Tip: I’ve also used my slow cooker to cook the pork roast instead of the stovetop. This method can be accomplished in 8 hours on low. Be sure to add the full 11/2 quarts of water so you render enough broth.

For more holiday treats, join me for a Christmas countdown at http://lubbockonline.com/interact/blog/angelinalarues-blog. Beginning today, I will blog 12 Days of Christmas Cookies and Candies. Each day I will feature one recipe that has special meaning to my family. Leave a comment there and tell me about your family’s cherished recipes!